Chapter 43 (continued)

If my back doesn't ache and my legs don't feel weak after such intense exercise, then I'd be a berserker! But Mel is definitely better than me; for example, his thighs aren't cramping right now.

Mel breathed a sigh of relief, but still relentlessly tried to put his arm around my waist. I had no choice but to let him do it, otherwise we would have become two mages playing a game of push-pull in the bedroom.

"I'll carry you downstairs!" Mel demanded firmly, his eyes filled with determination. I felt that he shouldn't be using this resolve for something as trivial as carrying me downstairs, but rather for a pre-battle pep talk before beating up a dragon. Maybe he could even break his teacher's record.

Taking on eighteen dragons single-handedly is no joke.

I thought about it and realized my back was indeed weak, so I leaned against him, sighed, and said, "Hmm... alright then."

Mel gently held my waist to make sure it wouldn't worsen my discomfort, then instantly teleported me to the restaurant, floating in the air without my toes touching the ground. He carried me to the table, where the Butler had already laid out a huge table full of sumptuous dishes, from succulent roasted meat to fresh and sweet fruits and vegetables, exquisitely prepared pastries and snacks, and several different kinds of juice... I've never had such a luxurious meal during Chinese New Year in my entire life, and judging by the portions, even sitting in those two giant dragons would be stuffed to the brim.

The Butler was very considerate and brought me a soft chair and stuffed three bulging cushions into it.

"Thank you!" Mel replied happily.

I...

Something feels off.

Thankfully, the Butler did not place any plant reproductive organs on the table.

After Mel sat down, the Butler conjured two more silvery, tentacle-like wisps of mist, which rummaged inside his large, sack-like body, and then, with a "poof," lifted up two...

Huh, two water sprites? Wow, these things are incredibly hard to come by in modern society, definitely more expensive than golden slimes!

In the poems of ancient bards, these creatures were also called nymphs. They were creatures only slightly larger than an adult's palm, distant relatives of fairies and grouse. They looked like little fairies from children's picture books, with beautiful, dreamy, transparent wings on their backs. Bards said they would sing gentle, soothing songs to travelers, relieving their fatigue and comforting their fragile souls. Many ancient bards even boasted that their singing voices were learned from a nymph.

... Well, actually, the bards truly live up to their reputation as the greatest rumor-mongers of the Diana Continent over thousands of years. Nymphs aren't exactly benevolent creatures. They do sing, but their purpose is to seduce weary travelers, then lure them into the waters where they nest to drown, letting their corpses slowly rot, and then planting mushrooms... well, not mushrooms, but a great material for Necromancy Spells. They just look like mushrooms, and they have a lovely name. "Fairy Umbrellas."

The Butler held up two nymphs, one radiating a soft pink glow and the other a pale golden yellow, like the color of sunlight; they were very beautiful.

Then the Butler floated above our heads, stretched out his tentacles, struck a pose, and pretended to be a rotating chandelier.

Hmm...

"You're so considerate, Mr. Butler," Mel said to him.

I also said, "Thank you for your trouble, the water sprite chandelier is very beautiful!"

Seeing that we liked it, the Butler was very happy. He poked the two water sprites again, and then the little creature began to sing reluctantly.

The water sprite sang beautifully! Mel and I were both very satisfied.

After dinner, we listened to a few songs. After a while, we realized that the mage tower was a bit empty. Neither of the two apprentices were there. Without the two energetic girls, the tower was a bit too quiet—or perhaps it was because they were usually too noisy.

I'm really not used to it being so quiet.

"Where did Anna and Moli go?" Mel asked the Butler.

The Butler pointed a misty finger out the window, indicating that they had gone into town for fun.

Since their instructor suddenly slacked off during class yesterday, Mel and I really have no right to criticize them for going out to play today.

Therefore, we didn't realize the problem until it got dark.

According to the Butler (who miraculously writes, forming lines of characters in the air with silvery mist, and his handwriting is surprisingly good), Anna and Moli got up early in the morning and left the mage tower together. Before leaving, they said they were going to an internet cafe. Moli was also planning to quit her job at the research institute and look for a part-time job.

But Moli wasn't the kind of unruly apprentice who would stay out all night without a word, leaving her teacher alone at home, completely bewildered. I asked Mel, Mel said Anna was the same. Although she seemed to have been heavily influenced by the evil ways of the Dark Elves, the Dark Elves valued family above all else. If Anna were to go outside, she would definitely let Mel know.

Moreover, the apprentices are also qualified to activate the magic servants within the mage tower. They all take one with them before leaving, because the tower cannot answer phone calls. Moli may not be proficient yet, but Anna, who grew up here, is very skilled at using magic servants.

Therefore, Mel and I immediately became restless.

Looking at the colorful cityscape outside the window, it was already close to midnight. As mages, staying up late is a very bad habit. Moli has been taught well; she only stays up late occasionally when she's secretly reading serialized novels or attending gatherings that might only happen once a year. Therefore, Mel and I don't think that the two apprentices were having too much fun outside and forgot about the time. After all, maintaining calmness and rationality at all times is a basic quality of a mage.

But what trouble could they possibly get into? Did their makeup make them look too much like demons, and they got captured and taken to the Temple?

Just as we were about to stop waiting and prepare to cast a spell to track the apprentice, the barrier outside the door was suddenly triggered. Mel and I sensed someone trying to rush in. Oh... that was our oversight. We had forgotten to put a doorbell or something outside the tower. There was still some open space outside the tower that hadn't been properly secured. If it was a visitor who came unexpectedly, they might not be able to be detected.

--That's Lusien. We only know one knight who can withstand the tower's defense system head-on. His Dou Qi is very powerful and unique. The mage tower's defense mechanism has been activated, but I immediately stopped the spell and teleported Lusien in.

He entered fully armed, carrying a trembling deliveryman in his hand.

... the deliveryman?

Mel and I exchanged bewildered glances. Could it be that some of the apprentices' obscene pamphlets had been delivered?

But Mel dismissed the guess, because he had once torn Anna's treasured booklet in front of her, tearing it to shreds with a shredding spell. From then on, Anna became even more adept at hiding the booklet, never letting the Federation's deliverymen bring it to the tower... and instead, a knight carried her and the package in with one hand.

"That's no ordinary deliveryman," the trembling courier said. "I... I... I'm just a deliveryman! I occasionally take on side jobs to earn some extra money. It might not be in accordance with company rules, but surely it shouldn't warrant being shut down by the captain of Shield of the New Star!"

Mel: "... This is a mage tower, not a prison."

Lusien loosened his collar; the knight, though hasty in his approach, quickly regained his composure and asked the courier, "I only brought you in because I saw you lingering outside the tower. Please don't be nervous. Bring us the package; I have something very important to discuss with the two archmages, and this package is very likely related to this matter as well."

I don't know if it's just my imagination, but this deliveryman seemed more afraid of Lusien than Mel and I. As soon as he heard that he wasn't being arrested, he immediately relaxed his posture.

"Someone paid me to deliver the package, and the price was quite high."

As he spoke, he handed over the package. Apart from the lack of a shipping label, it really looked like a regular online shopping delivery. The package was very sturdy. Lusien quickly unwrapped the wrapping paper and foam several times, but Mel and I frowned. Several layers of the wrapping paper had clearly been treated with magical coating, which could block mental perception to a certain extent.